New Zealand Frogs & Reptiles

DSC_3203 Burgan skink (Oligosoma burganae) adult in mountain heath. Alpine herb fields are this skink's preferred microhabitat. It is restricted to the Lammermoor and Rock and Pillar Ranges above 900m. It is now sadly, absent from many of the places it was found when it was first discovered in the 1980's. Now, only two tiny sub populations remain. This high-altitude skink has behavioural adaptations for surviving the cold, which include using the burrows of ground weta and giant worms, to escape the freezing temperatures that might otherwise threaten their survival over winter. It is possible that introduced mice have impacted populations of weta and skink, and the loss of habitat from grazing, and from subsequent weed encroachment will also be factors. Burgan Stream, Rock and Pillar Range *

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DSC_3203 Burgan skink (Oligosoma burganae) adult in mountain heath. Alpine herb fields are this skink's preferred microhabitat. It is restricted to the Lammermoor and Rock and Pillar Ranges above 900m. It is now sadly, absent from many of the places it was found when it was first discovered in the 1980's. Now, only two tiny sub populations remain. This high-altitude skink has behavioural adaptations for surviving the cold, which include using the burrows of ground weta and giant worms, to escape the freezing temperatures that might otherwise threaten their survival over winter. It is possible that introduced mice have impacted populations of weta and skink, and the loss of habitat from grazing, and from subsequent weed encroachment will also be factors. Burgan Stream, Rock and Pillar Range *

DSC_3203 Burgan skink Oligosoma inconspicuum stream adult heath burganae camouflage camouflaged